Broadside ballad entitled 'The Tid Is On Me Now'

Commentary

Verse 1 begins: 'It was on a Monday morning, / In the spring time of the year'. Published by James Lindsay from 9 King Street, Glasgow, this sheet also incorporates an illustration of a pretty basket of wild flowers above the title. This helps to enhance the mood of the ballad. 'Tid' is the Scots word for mood.

This ballad addresses two very popular themes: marriage and parental guidance. The daughter of the piece is in the mood to marry, but has no particular preference. Meanwhile, her mother thinks she should wait until someone trustworthy manifests and enjoy her freedom in the meantime. It is not revealed who wins the argument! It is revealing of attitudes of the time that the daughter feels she has long been ready to marry despite being only sixteen, while her mother, more normally, married at 14.

Broadsides, cheap and accessible, were often used as moral forums with 'lessons of life' included in the narrative. Broadside authors tended to see themselves as moral guardians and teachers in society. As such, publishers often disseminated 'educational' texts outlining the social and personal consequences of undisciplined or immoral behaviour.